(DSiWare)

Bomberman Blitz (DSiWare)

Game Review

Bomberman Blitz Review

Europe PAL Version

Posted by Marcel van Duyn

A cut down, portable Bomberman Blast.

Pretty much every platform in this gaming generation has had a downloadable Bomberman title. The DSi hadn't yet, so Hudson must've figured "Why the heck not?" and made yet another one.

As with all other downloadable (non-Virtual Console) Bomberman titles, this is strictly a multiplayer affair — there is no adventure mode, so the only thing you can play is the franchise's famous battle mode. The concept is still the same as ever: you're thrown into an arena with up to seven others and the objective is to blow up blocks to get upgrades for yourself and your bombs and blast your opponents.

Single player allows you to play with up to seven bots (of which you can set the skill level), while local multiplayer and Nintendo WiFi Connection allow you to play against other people. Disappointingly, the game's touted 8-player support is only available for local multiplayer — WiFi Connection games are limited to 4-player battles. To top that off, there is no Download Play game sharing support so all players need to download the game themselves. There's also a tutorial mode for beginners, but really, what more do you need to know than "plant bombs and blow others up?"

After Bomberman Blast, Live and Ultra (for WiiWare, XBLA and PSN, respectively), Blitz noticeably goes back to the basics — there are no alternate battle modes (such as Blast's "Countdown," "King" and "Air Raid") and only six of the most well-known powerups in the series (extra bombs, extra range, extra speed, spike bombs and the ability to kick and throw bombs) make appearances.

Thankfully, other features have not been cut down at all. There are 10 arenas, each with their own gimmick (such as trapdoors, conveyor belts or an extra high amount of items) and each match is fully customizable with a multitude of settings (match time, the amount of victories required, the ability to toggle "Revenge" mode, and many more). All arenas can also be played in Large and Small sizes; Large ones are spread across the DSi's two screens and allow you to walk between them. This tends to get rather annoying, however, as explosions also carry over to the other screen, meaning you have to keep an eye on both screens the whole time. This sounds easy, but in practice, it's almost impossible, especially with a full eight players running around.

The music is pretty disappointing. Just like in Blast, Hudson Soft has opted to use the rather forgettable music from Bomberman Generation, rather than the classic themes everybody knows and loves. The graphics are all completely 2D and look pretty good, if obviously not truly impressive. Bomberman himself still has his more recent "long-legged" design, which looks a bit weird in 2D, but it's nothing complaint-worthy.

Conclusion

For 500 DSi Points, there's no denying that those wanting a cheap, portable version of Bomberman's battle mode will love this. If you have no desire for portability and already own one of the many other games in the series, though, then it might be best to just forget this one, or wait for Bomberman Blast: Battlefest on WiiWare, which looks set to be everything Blast was and more.

User Comments (47)

Knux

#4

Knux said:

Great review! I might buy this, but I will have to find a way to permanently connect my DSi to the internet first. :P

Slapshot

#5

Slapshot said:

Good to see something other than a puzzle game on DSiWare. Ive already got Bomberman on DS so its a pass, but good to see it on the service.

WolfRamHeart

#7

WolfRamHeart said:

Thanks for the solid review Drake. I think I'm going to pass on this one as well. It sounds pretty meh to me.

Ezekiel

#8

Ezekiel said:

What you expect for a remake of Bomberman blast half the price of the wiiware version on Dsiware? I would download this if I had a Dsi and if it did not have to much lag. Is the lag bad with 4 people wifi?

Sylverstone

#9

Sylverstone said:

Well, I was actually expecting a better game than what Drake reviewed (No 8-player online smackdown? :() Oh well, when I have enough points to blow, this is definitely on the list.

I'm still to see how Reflection is going to appeal to us DSi owners. Mid-November! (Check my thread in the DSiWare section for confirmation!)

Mario_maniac

#10

Mario_maniac said:

This is definitely my favourite DSi game out thus far. The game could've easily been priced at 800 points, but good on Nintendo and Hudson for putting it at a cheaper price.

Charlie_The_Unicorn

#12

Charlie_The_Unicorn said:

I wonder what I was smoking when I sold my Bommberman DS game on half.com. So yeah, I'll be getting this along with Excitebike: WR this monday.

JoeDiddley

#13

JoeDiddley said:

500 points & online is good enough for me. I'm still getting to grips with what this games got & never really tried the extra modes that the wiiware version has.

Cheezy

#14

Cheezy said:

I actually can't wait, I can never have too much Bomberman, even though I suck at it :P

Hipster-Dashie

#15

Hipster-Dashie said:

I bought this game last night, pretty good fun, although on normal I tend to get beaten quite a bit... Perhaps I should try small mode instead of large?

Mastgrr

#17

Mastgrr said:

Wow, no download play. That stinks. Going to still get it though. Any good game on DSiWare gets my purchase.

Raptor78

#18

Raptor78 said:

Havnt noticed any lag online sofar, but I have noticed I always get my @ss kicked by the last person standing when I play 4 player wifi.
Im actually quite glad the wifi version limits itself a 4 players for two reasons...
first you dont have to wait forever to get an online game going when you only have to wait for four players and second on the DS it can get a bit more chaotic and confusing than when im playing it on the wii so im glad you only have to worry bout three other opponents.
AI you can always dumb down a bit so its great to have loads of CPU bommermen to kill but wifi im glad its just four players.

Good review though, 7 is a decent enough score for a basic bommerman game. I would definately recommend it for 500 points though.

On a side note this game didnt cost me anything as all I did was cash in my stars that I had gained from doing surveys on other DSiware I had bought which is fantastic.

LEGEND_MARIOID

#19

LEGEND_MARIOID said:

The conclusion says it all. Obviously a good game but if you have one or two of the other DS incarnations of this game there's really no point in getting this. That applies to me.

(Portability only interested me w.r.t. Dr Mario)

Thanks, good revw.

Xkhaoz

#20

Xkhaoz said:

I'm getting this hopefully with UNO on Monday. 1. because an online mode for a $5 game, score. And 2. I don't have a single Bomberman game.

g-silent007

#21

g-silent007 said:

yea i might get this once I get an DSi becuse its been awhile since I played a bomberman game, anyway good review.

motang

#27

motang said:

I might get this, as I don't have any Bomberman game, and it does sound like a fun game on the go.

Pegasus

#28

Pegasus said:

Actually, I quite like the sound of reduced battle modes as I've found any other than the original one pretty superfluous or downright boring and pointless.

Yes, I definitely prefer back to basics as it removes a lot of the dumb gimmicks that keep getting added on over the years. I might just get this.

#31

said:

I don't like Bomberman, except for the N64 era. Bomberman 64, Bomberman 64: The Second Attack, and Bomberman Hero are so much fun; I love Regulus and the Astral Knights. Bomberman Generation is pretty good too, but not Jetters.

Moochr

#34

Moochr said:

7/10? Come on! This game is WAAY better than that! The wi-fi is awesome!

KrazyKain

#36

KrazyKain said:

i sat for a moment thinking..should i download? thought ah whatever.. got it.. played it online.... YAY

yeah it rocks

rachelthehedgehog

#37

rachelthehedgehog said:

My favorite DSiware game ever! Would recommend very very highly. Get this! I would think of it more of like 800 but you get it for 500! what a fantastic game! i play this all the time with my brother and my cousin. they love it too!

Hokori

#38

Hokori said:

I just got this and I think its addicting

My FC is 4985-2605-4216 if anyone wants to add me (kinda thought putting FC's on the games review is easier then the Forums)

ryanthehedgehog

#39

ryanthehedgehog said:

Me and my sister really enjoy this one and still are.
It is great for roadtrips, but I hate the single player.

Plus it has online, so pretty much,
500 points is almost a steal for this one.

I love Bomberman!

Jahir

#40

Jahir said:

With Download Play this game would've been a 9. Still, the online mode is very good, I was like 5 hours playing with it the other day :P

clubmini

#43

clubmini said:

:O theres ONLINE?! Why did you tell me this so late! sorry, but I really want to buy this game.

ejamer

#44

ejamer said:

"To top that off, there is no Download Play game sharing support so all players need to download the game themselves."

This is the deal breaker for me. Too bad - I would love to grab a portable copy of Bomberman, but since my friends only have DS Lite systems it wouldn't do me any good without Download Play.

x-mas_mii

#46

x-mas_mii said:

the last time i played bomber man was on the game boy so this one just feels different; probably just character models

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